Arc 2: Part 2
In the annals of history, Xiao Qingwan entered the palace as a courtesan for the deposed emperor, residing in his Shun'an Palace. By a twist of fate, she fell in love with the deposed emperor who had a similarly challenging past.
Obsessed to the brink of madness, she sought to please the deposed emperor, even colluding with him to kill her biological sister, Xiao Bai Zhu.
After the deposed emperor was restored, she was overjoyed, thinking that she would accompany him into the palace and be named as one of the imperial concubines. However, the emperor chose a new empress instead. Even more shockingly, the newly crowned empress sent her a chilling imperial decree.
"Xiao Clan conspired to rebel, and by right should be exterminated to the ninth generation. In consideration of Xiao Qingwan's meritorious service to the emperor, we bestow upon her a cup of poisoned wine, granting her the opportunity to die by her own hand."
The new empress wanted to kill her!
Xiao Qingwan was in disbelief.
She had no idea that her poisoning was actually orchestrated by the deposed emperor. She was not aware that the emperor never reciprocated her feelings and only considered her a tool to be used.
Furious and resisting, Xiao Qingwan attempted to plead her case before the emperor, but was held down by several eunuchs who forced the poison upon her, leading to her painful demise.
This was the normal course of history. However, in the mission world that Tong Su arrived in, Xiao Qingwan, who was force-fed poison and died in hatred, returned to life fifteen years earlier, when none of these events had occurred, and she was only ten years old.
Having returned to the past, she could start over!
After realizing her situation, Xiao Qingwan was elated.
Thinking back on her past life, she stubbornly believed that her death was inevitably due to the Xiao family's treason.
Would the Young Emperor not have been deposed if he knew of Xiao Lingchen's ambition early on and took preventative actions?
With a plan in mind, Xiao Qingwan acted swiftly. While her younger sister was still small, she manipulated Bai Zhu into her service. She also managed to win over her stepbrother Xiao Lingchen, becoming a well-respected young miss in the Xiao mansion.
Now, she was making every effort to establish a connection with the Young Emperor, preparing to betray the Xiao family secrets at any time to help the deposed emperor overthrow the Xiao clan!
"Is Xiao Qingwan insane? The Xiao family raised and pampered her, yet she disloyally plans to betray her own clan. Does she really think she could be made Empress by siding with the deposed emperor? I fear, should the Xiao family fall, she would find herself facing execution along with the rest of her clan."
Tong Su was utterly bewildered by Xiao Qingwan's thought process. As the saying goes, the pitiful often have a detestable side.
Xiao Qingwan seemed pitiful due to her poisoning, but considering all the people she ruthlessly harmed, she could hardly be considered innocent.
Indeed, by the time we, the Time Administration Bureau, realized something was wrong, she had already been reborn for six years. If it weren't for the Xiao family moving back to the capital just recently, who knows how much chaos she would have stirred! Sister, we absolutely cannot let Xiao Qing-wan achieve her goals, as this would severely affect the course of history!"
The 666 spirit was flashing green anxiously, floating in the air and shivering.
"Mission requirements:
1. Help Xiao Bai Zhu take revenge on those who have insulted and bullied her;
2. Protect and support Xiao Lingchen in seizing the throne and establishing a new dynasty;
3. Make every effort to restore history to its normal course, minimizing deviations.
4. Additional special requirement: Do not disclose information about "rebirth" or true history to anyone in this world, and do not reveal your own identity."
The Dakang Dynasty had been around for 500 years, long having lost its glory as a center of tribute for numerous nations.
A multitude of chronic issues and corruption dragged down this once brilliant dynasty, with natural disasters and human calamities pushing it to the brink of collapse.
With a bleak world, constant heavy taxes, and the imperial court plagued by conspiring eunuchs, selling of official positions by relatives of the emperor, and the looming threat of invasion from neighboring tribes, the situation was nothing short of a living hell for the common people.
In the court, there was only one person who could single-handedly fight against the eunuchs and relatives — a young man who possessed both literary and military prowess, a ruthless and cunning strategist.
That man was Xiao Taifu. (Note: 太傅 [tàifù] = Grand Tutor)
Xiao Lingchen.
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